
Learn about the numerous assays for cell death, toxicity, viability, and metabolic activity ...and how they can all be measured with one microplate reader.
Cell-based studies provide information about basic cellular processes. These include cell division, cell energy balance, control mechanisms, cell death regulation, differentiation or pathology. Cell-based methods are not only used for research: toxicity tests replace animal experiments and identify toxic substances in vitro. In addition, cell cultures have become important production organisms for medicines. For example, they produce insulin or monoclonal antibodies used as cancer therapeutics.
Modern cell biology analyses not only measure at a single time point but monitor biological changes over days in real time. To this end, the measurement chamber of a microplate reader needs controlled temperature and gas conditions. BMG LABTECH´s Atmospheric Control Unit regulates CO2 to stabilize the pH in carbonate buffered cell cultures. Additionally, O2 can be set to physiological conditions, which for mammalian cultures is typically below ambient concentrations. BMG LABTECH microplate readers further correct for non-homogenous distribution of a cell layer as they measure several points across the well instead of only reading in the center. To avoid biased results due to a undetected mycoplasma contamination, BMG LABTECH readers also offer the possibility of detecting existing contamination.
Setting up a cell biology experiment takes time. Therefore, novel assay solutions measure several parameters at once. The combination of different fluorescent, luminescent and chromogenic assays in one well results in multiple readouts. With a flexible microplate reader, all assays can be measured with only one instrument.
Search our Resources section for information about specific applications, literature citations, videos, blog articles and many other publications. Many of the resources provided are associated with current and previous instrument models and versions.
Pharmaceutical biology
Development (Cambridge, England)
International journal of biological macromolecules
DNA repair
Characterization of the Bifunctional Enzyme BioDA Involved in Biotin Synthesis and Pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus